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“The glorious victories which you have already won over the mightiest state in Hellas are the sure pledge to you of further successes, and have deeply depressed the courage and hope of the Athenians.” 1. ὑπὲρ καλῶν τῶν μελλόντων: the position of the pred. adj. before the art. produces the same effect as καλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ ἀγὼν ἔσται. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄν : for otherwise you would not. Cf. c. 51. 4. αὐτῶν: sc. τῶν προειργασμένων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων. See on c. 55. 11.—μὴ ἐπὶ ὅσον δεῖ: not sufficiently. 5. Ἀθηναίους: to be connected with ὑποστάντες νενικήκατε (11) and νικήσετε (12). Kr. Spr. 60, 5, 2. ἔπειτα δέ: the reading of Vat., for ἔπειτ̓ of the other Mss. is more forcible. ἀρχὴν τὴν ἤδη μεγίστην: by the position,—subst., art., adj.,—the emphasis is put on the attribute. The arrangement is common in Thuc. See on i.1.6.—καὶ ἀρχὴν...κεκτημένους : we should expect ἤδη with κεκτημένους. But the sense is, “the most extensive rule already among the ancient and the present Hellenes.” τῶν πρὶν Ἑλλήνων is part. gen., though the sup. does not really belong to the sphere of the gen. Kr. Spr. 47, 28, 10; Kühn. 349^{b}, 4. ὑποστάντες: cf. i.144.22. κατέσχον: potiti sunt. Cf. ii.62.25; iv.2.13.—τὰς μὲν νενικήκατε ἤδη ναυμαχίας: cf. ii.85.14, περὶ τῆς ναυμαχίας ἢν ἐνίκησαν. The double acc. (since Ἀθηναίους belongs also to νενικήκατε) similar to i.32.18, τὴν . . . ναυμαχίαν . . . ἀπεωσάμεθα Κορινθίους. G. 159, N. 4; H. 725.—ἐκ τοῦ εἰκότος: also in c. 68. 14, a strengthened εἰκότως, in all probability. Cf. ἐξ ἀναγκαίου, c. 60. 24; ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ, iv.79.10; ἐκ τοῦ ἀσφαλοῦς, i.39.2; ἐκ τοῦ ἀφανοῦς, i.51.4. 12. ἄνδρες: in the sense of the impers. pron.—ᾧ ἀξιοῦσι προύχειν: “wherein they claim to be the first.” κολουθῶσι: is, it seems, more Att. than κολουσθῶσι. Schol. ἐλαττωθῶσι. τό γ̓ ὑπόλοιπον αὐτῶν τῆς δόξης : “the rest of their good opinion of themselves.” By its close connexion with the preceding ᾧ ἀξιοῦσι προύχειν, δόξα αὐτῶν gets the meaning which the Schol. expresses by φρόνημα, self-confidence. ἀσθενέστερον αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἐστιν ἢ εἰ—: “has sunk lower (is weaker) than if,” etc. The comp. with αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ measuring the difference between different conditions of the subj. itself. H. 644; Kühn. 543, 6. Both the refl. gen. and ἤ here as in Hdt. ii.25.23, αὐτὸς ἑωυτοῦ ῥέει πολλῷ ὑποδεέστερος ἢ τοῦ θέρεος; viii.86.8.— ᾠήθησαν: sc. προύχειν. τὸ πρῶτον : from the beginning, and so strengthening the negation, as τὴν ἀρχήν in iv.98.4; vi.56.5. καὶ τῷ παῤ ἐλπίδα...ἐνδιδόασιν : Cl. thinks that the evident parallelism of the sent. requires that τοῦ αὐχήματος should depend on παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα, as τῆς δυνάμεως depends on παρὰ ἰσχύν; the former in the sense “at variance with” (i.e. contrary to the expectation of) “their proud self-confidence”; the latter, “contrary to the strength of their real power,” i.e. more than was necessary in proportion to the real measure of their strength. But it seems better, with Kr., St., and others, to take τῷ παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα = insperato, and const. τοῦ αὐχήματος with σφαλλόμενοι, “deceived in their self-confidence.” Cf. iv.62.12, τῷ παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα μὴ χαλεπῶς σφαλλέσθω. With παρὰ ἰσχὺν τῆς δυνάμεως, cf. Soph. Phil. 594, ἰσχύος κράτος; Paul. ad Eph. 1. 19, τὸ κράτος τῆς ἰσχύος. ἐνδιδόασιν : give up, lose courage. Cf. viii.1.23.
Commentary on Thucydides Book 7. Charles F. Smith. 1886. Boston. Ginn and Company.
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